DIFFERENT BY DESIGN

Design Hotels Managing Director Stijn Oyen on why its portfolio of properties is truly one of a kind—and what, ultimately, makes a great hotel

- Coco Marett

Stamba in Tbilisi, Georgia, is a former publishing house-turned-hotel that boasts a stunning brutalist design, where a soaring five-storey-high “jungle atrium” features foliage that cascades over the old printdrying beam. In Amsterdam, the Sir Albert Hotel occupies a 19th-century diamond factory; now a 90-key hotel, it boasts a different kind of treasure: limited-edition works by renowned Dutch designers such as Piet Hein Eek and Joy van Erven.

Nous on Greece’s Santorini island offers an escape from the Instagramming crowds that flood the island. Instead, it’s a humble retreat similar to those of days gone by where artists, writers and poets would go to find inspiration and create. Its owner, Cypriot art collector Dakis Joannou, says his “main interest is to share ideas, engage in dialogue and offer opportunities for people to see things from a different angle”.

These hotels are one of one; the thread that binds them is that they’re all part of Design Hotels— a portfolio of 300 independent, design-driven hotels around the world.

“My mission is to maintain the innovative edge Design Hotels is known for—continuing to push the boundaries of travel, hospitality and design to keep our hotels at the forefront of culture and, in turn, attracting purpose-led guests that appreciate experimental hospitality,” says Stijn Oyen, managing director of Design Hotels. “Our commitment to this mission is anchored by our community of innovative, visionary owners—or Originals, as we like to call them.”